FAA Flight Instructor Airplane (FIA)Weather and Weather ServicesEasy
A pilot on the ground observes the passage of a cold front. Which sequence of weather changes should the pilot expect immediately after frontal passage?
- AVisibility steadily decreases while temperature and pressure remain unchanged
- BWind becomes calm, dew point rises, and clouds thicken into overcast
- CWind remains steady, temperature rises gradually, and pressure falls
- DWind shifts direction, temperature drops, and pressure begins to rise
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Wind shifts direction, temperature drops, and pressure begins to rise
Behind a cold front, the wind typically shifts (often veering clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere), temperatures drop as colder air moves in, and surface pressure rises. Skies often clear quickly after the frontal passage.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Visibility typically improves, not worsens, after cold front passage.
- B. Describes warm front characteristics, not cold front passage.
- C. Describes conditions more typical ahead of a warm front, not after a cold front.
Cold Front Passage
A cold front is the leading edge of a cold air mass; passage brings a wind shift, temperature drop, rising pressure, and often rapid clearing.
- Steep frontal slope causes sharp, brief weather changes
- Cumuliform clouds and possible thunderstorms along the front
- Wind shifts (often clockwise, NH)
- Pressure rises and visibility improves after passage
Memory trick: Cold front kicks the door shut — wind shifts, temp drops, pressure pops up.